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Why Does My Dog Roll In Poop?

By Kathie Compton

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(Picture Credit: Getty Images)

Question:

Why does my dog roll in poop?

Answer:

We just don’t know for sure why dogs roll in poop or other (usually decaying) organic matter. One assumption is that they do it to mask their own scent. Somewhere in the evolution of the domestic dog, that behavior must have been advantageous for survival. Dogs might have been able to get closer to their prey if they were “disguised” as something other than a dog. This behavior is called “self-anointing” and many animals, not just dogs, exhibit some form of it.